Safety device for starting mechanisms.



B. P. SWYERS, SAFEIY DEVICE FOR STARTING mzcmmsms.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 34. l9l3.

1 ,242,267. Patented Oct. 9. 1917.

2 SHEETS-SHEET I.

WITNESSES a. P. SWYERS. SAFETY DEVICE FOR STARTING MECHANISMS.

APPLICATION "LED JUNE 4| 1913- 1,242,267. Patented Oct. 9,1917.

2 5HET5-$HEET 2- FIE-.5. I .PISE- INVENTOR UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

BBICE P. SWYERS, 0F YIT'ISBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA, ASIGNOR, BY DIRECT AND MESNE ASSIGNMENTS. TO MOTORS LOCK COMPANY OF AMERICA, OF PITTS BURGH, PENNSYLVANIA, A CORPORATION OF DELAWARE.

SAFETY DEVICE FOR STARTING MECHANISMS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 9, 191 '7 7 '0 all whom it mail concern Be it known that 1, Bruce P. Swrnns, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Pittsburgh, South Side, in the county of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Safety Devices for Starting Mechanisms; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description thereof.

My invention relates to safety devices and has special reference to safety devices for preventing the starting of mechanisms such as automobiles, by any surreptitious person during the absence of the person in charge of the same. i

The object of my invention is to provide a cheap, simple and eflicient form of safety device which will take up very little space and which will be so arrangedas to disconnect both high and low tension wires connecting the battery, magneto, and spark plug of the engine, so that in order to connect the same for startingthe mechanism, the operator must be familiar with the combination employed.

My invention consists, generally stated, in the novel arrangement, construction and combination of. parts as hereinafter more specifically set forth and described and particularly pointed out in the claims.

To enable others skilled in the art to which my invention appertains to construct and use my improvedysafety device, I will describe the same more fully referring to the accompanying drawings in which Figure 1 is a top plan view of the device.

Fig. 2 is a side view of the same with the casing removed.

, Fig. 3 is a crossjsectipnal view on the line 3-3 Fig. 2 looking downward. V

Fig. 4 is a top plan view of the upper fiber plate showing the contact rings in po-' sition.

Fig. ,5 is a bottom Ian view of the u per fiber plate showing 1; e lower contact rings in o'sition. I, 5

lg. 6 is a bottom plan view of the'deviee with the lower fiber plate removed. a

. Fig. 7 is a top plan'view of the'lower fib'er plate. Fig; 8 is a bottom plan view of the same.

i Fig. 9 is a plan, view of the spring em-.

p y d in the fiber disk. Like sy'mbolsof reference herein indicate point under fiber bloc cavityT-formedby theig ap i s like parts in each of the figures of the drawmg.

As illustrated in the drawings my improved safety device has a central shaft- 1 which passes through the dial or face 2, the

u pper fiber plate 3, the liberldisk 4, and the lower fiber plate 5. The dial 2 and upper and lower fiber plates 3 and 5' respectively are supported and held in position by upright supports or standards 6 which are located at suitable intervals around the periphery of such parts and secured thereto in any suitable manner such as by small screws: Fitting around the shaft 1 is a bushing 7 which extends through the dial 2 and through the upper fiber plate 3 and on that portion of the' same which extends through the dial 2 is a long hand 8 for indicating the position of the contacts as later explained. I

At a position between the dial 2 and the upper fiber plate 3 is an arm 9 which is formed of some non-conducting material,

such as fiber, and such arm is secured to the bushing 7 in any suitable manner such as by a screw 10 passing through the circular at. taching portion 11 of said ar'm.

Upon the upper part of the circular attaching portion 11 of the arm 9 is a bevel gear 12 which is secured firmly to said portion, and adapted to mesh with a small bevel gear 13 as later explained.

Secured to the lower face of thevdial 2 is a support 14 which carries a bearing 15 for the purpose of receiving a shaft 16, on the inner end of which the said bevel gear 13 is securely located, while a thumb screw 17 is secured to said shaft for the purpose of-turning said gear. The thumb-screw 1'? has a long barrel-portion 18 which fits over the end of the shaft 16 nd-engages bya grooyeto prevent the parts from "becoming diseng v r the upper face of-the u" per fiber" plate 3 is a series-of contactringsftf -innumber', the inner ring 22 bi'Qrleu reasonable 23 "a" injthe the'rri'ng m lder explained; Them i-iiigfltiseolidila'ving no break in the same, while the 'outer ring 2-5 is broken and has a-izontact 26 in the center of thegao thus formed for the urpose hereinafter explained, while a fiber block 27 is placed oneach side of saidcontact .26 so as to form a smooth even surface at the point oftliebreak in said ring and; toinsula'te said contact from said ring. The

inner contact ring .22 is adapted to, be engaged by a contact member 28 which is secured to the arm 9 by'a screw 29 and such contact member is electrically connected with the bevel gear 12 by-a small portion 30 extending onto'the upper face of said arm and under said gear. The middle contact ring 24 is engaged by a contact member 31 which has two contact portions 32 and 33 respectively and the said portion 32 rests upon said ring at all times, while the portion 33 rests upon the outer contact ring 25 or the contact 26 in the break formed therein. This contact member 31 is sdcured to the side of the arm 9 by means of screws 34 and isin no way connected to the contact member 28 on said arm, such member 31 being in contactwith the gear 12, and thus grounded through the frame of the device. The inner contact ring 22 is provided, with a termihal 35 for attaching a wire, while the middle contact ring 24-and the contact 26 are also each provided with a terminal 36 and 37 respectively for the same purpose.

Between the upperfiber plate 3, and the lower fiber plate 5 and above the fiber disk 4 is an arm 38 which is secured to the shaft 1 in any suitaoie manner such as by a screw '39 passing through the circular attaching portion 40 of said arm, and such arm is formed of some non-conducting material such as fiber. At the .upper end of the shaft lwhich extendssli'ghtly through the bushing 7- a; short hand 41 is secured by a screw 42 which enters .he'end of such shaft to insurethe turning .of said hand with said shaft. y

The lower face of the uppenfiber plate is provided with an inner and outer contact ring 43 and 44 respectively and such rings are each provided with terminals 45 and 46 respectively for the purpose of attaching a wire to the same ashereinafter explained. The outerrin44 is broken at a suitable point and in the ga thusproduced a contact 47 islocated while on either side of said contact a fiber block 48 is placed in order to present a smoo'thevensurface and to i'nsulate said contact from said ring. to the arm 38 by means 'of the screws 49 is a contactmembei' 50 which has two contact portions 51 and 52 and the said portion 51 rests uponthe inner contact ring 43 at all times while the portion 52 rests upon the outer contact ring 44 or on thecontact 47 located in the break of said ring.

The fiber disk 4 has a round hole 53 in the shaft.

Secured center of the same for fitting around the shaft 1 and a bevel gear 54 is. attached to said disk by means of screws 55, and a fer.

end, while the outer end of said shaft is providedwith athumb screw 61 which has a long barrel portion- 62 for fitting over said 7 The barrel screw 61 is provide with a groove 63 at the ortion 62 on the thumb end of the same and such groove is adapted to engage with a pin 64 which extends through said shaftso that. said shaft will be turned with said screw. ,The thumb screw 61 is held securely on said'shaft by means of a screw 61" entering the end of,

-said shaft, while the smallbevel gear 60" on the'inner end of said shaft is adapted at all times to mesh with. the bevel gear 54 on the fiber disk 4. v

The lower faceof the fiber disk 4 is provided with an annular slot 65 and with a recess 66 around the hole 53 which fits over the shaft 1, while a third segment 67 of the material included between saidslot and recess is cut out to a depth equal to the depth of the said recess but said 'slot is of greater depth than said recess and cut out segment.

Fitting around the shaft 1 and located within the recess 66 of the fiber disk 4 is aspiral spring 68 which has two outwardly extending arms 69 which lie within the cut out segment 67 and rest against the' side faces 70 formed by, saidfcut out segment, and said arms have each a curved portion 71 continuing out from the ends of the same for fitting within the annular slot 65.between the side'faces 70 not included'in said out out segment. The curved portions" 71 of the spring 68 are each curved on the same radius, as the radius of the annular slot 65 and each of said curved portions are providedat a position. immediately beyond the outwardly extendingarms 69 with {a raised portion 72 as hereinafter explained. That part of the annular slot 65 included between the side faces 70 beyond the cut out segment 67 is covered by a metal plate 73 at about the center of its depthand such plate is adapted to l?ke contact withfthe curved ortions 71. o the spring 68 'at all times w ile' said plate will always restrain 5 81 to protect the same,

slot 65 and upon said shoulder are three contacts 75, 76 and 77 respectively which are slightly raised above the upper surface of said shoulder for the purpose of engaging the raised portions 72 of the curved portions 71 of the spring 63 at suitable intervals as hereinafter described. These contacts 75, 76 and 77 are each held in position by a screw 78 formed integral with the same and such screws extend through the lower fiber plate 5 and are cnga ed by small washers 79 and nuts 80 to hold the contacts in'position, while such screws, washers and nuts are adapted to rest in counter sunk holes and to present a fairly even surface on the bottom of said plate. Between the countersunk holes 81 below the contacts 75 and 76 extends for the purpose of connecting a -wire 83 between the respective washers 79.

and nuts 80.

The outer edge of the lower fiber plate 5 has two cut away portions 84 and 85 between the upright supports or standards 6 for admitting the necessary wires for conso which has a glass struction and will nection to the hereinbefore enumerated terminals.

The entire mechanism hereinbefore dcscribcd is contained in a suitable casing 86 cover 87 fitting over the dial or face 2 so as to-pe'rmit of easy inspection of the same at any time.-

The. device while more or less complicated in description is very simple in conbe adapted to be used on all classes of mechanisms where an electric current is used for creating the spark for igniting the gases used in the cylinder or cylinders of the engine. The device can be attached in a few minutes to any mechanism and when attachcd it will be practically impossible to start'the engine without knowing the com bination of numbers'to which the respective hands must point before the engine can be given the necessary spark for ignitin the gases for operating the same. This will prove of especial value to owners of automobiles who when leaving their cars standing never have any assurance that the same will be found upon their return, so that by the use of this device the inconven ience and annoyancethus occasioned will be eliminated.

Various niodifications and changes in the design, construction, method of connection and operation may be resorted to without departing from the spirit of the invention or sacrificing any of is advantages.

hat I claim as my invention and desire to secure'by Letters Patent is 1. In a combination electric switch, an insulating plate, a set of contacts mounted on one side of said plate, a second Sctof contacts-mounted on the other side of said plate,-

a groove 82 evice' a dial, a shaft carrying a hand adjacent said dial, a contact mounted on saidshaft and cooperating with the setof contacts on one side of said insulating plate, a rotatable member coaxial with said shaft, a hand carried by said memberadj'acent said dial, and a contact carried by said member and cooperating with the set of contacts on the other side of said plate.

2. In a combination'electric switch, a dial, an insulating plate, standards for connecting said plate with said'dial-parallel' thereto and in spaced relation therewith, a set of contacts mounted on one side of" said plate, a second set'of contacts mounted' on the other side of said plate a shaft passingthrough said dial and said'plate and-havin a hand mounted thereon,a. contact carri'e by said shaft and-cooperating with the said contacts on the lower side of said plate, a sleeve rotatably mounted on saidshaft and carrying a hand,- and a contact carried by said sleeve and cooperating. with" thesetof contacts on the upper side'ofsaidplatea 3. In a combination switch an' insulating-1 plate, a set of ring-'contacts mounted' on-onB side of said plate," a second set ofcontacts mounted on the other sidewf said plate, a shaft mounted through thecenter ofisaid plate, a contact brush mounted 01T -S3.id -Shaft' and cooperating with: the setof ring: contacts on one sideof said plate; a rotatable member co-axial'witli said sliaft', and a-brushcontact carried by said member and 00* operating with the set of ringcontactson" the other sideof said plater 4. In a combination switch, a dial,- an in-- sulating base plate, a disk, an: insulating plate above said diski ashaft passing. through all ofsaid members;- uprights for' spacing and holdingsaid-- lates=and said dial in position, a self 0 ring: contacts mounted on the' upper sid e of" said seeond named plate, a. second set 0t ringfcontacts mounted on the lower side of said} second ii amed' plate, a brushcontact" carried by said: shaft and cooperatingiiwith the contacts onthe lower side of said" late;- a: sleeve rotm tably mounted onsaid 5 brush contact codperatingtwith the-'ringicon tacts on the upper side ofsaid' p'late,-. and means for independently operating. each of said brushes.

5. Ina combination switch, adial,- an: insulating plate; a disk, an" insulating. plate above said disk, ashwft-passingi through all of said members; upri' hts for s acin'gl-andholdin said plates a-n -'s'aid dial m position, a set 0 rin contacts' mcunted on the upper' side of sai second named plate,- a seoo'n set of ring contacts mounted an the lower side of said second named' plate, a brush contact carried by said shatt and cooperatin with: the contacts" on the? lower side of said plate, a sleevearotatably mounted: on

said shaftand carrying a brush contact co- In testimony whereof, I the said Bmcn P.

operating with the rmg contacts on the SWYERS, have hereunto set my hand. upper si e of said plate a casing inclosirw 3 T r q the whole of said switch, and operating BLICE members extending through said casing and Witnesses:

in geared connctlon with said brushes for T. B. HUMPHRms,

independently operating them. WILLIAM E. THOMAS. 

